The Starry-Eyed Podcast

Queen Crouton herself has returned! This week we're joined by our good friend Sophia Napoli. If you think she's become more tame since her last appearance - not a chance! Her passion and desire to impact change on the world is the perfect way to close out 2025 and get excited for 2026!

This episode is brought to you by Innersense Organic Beauty.

Shop Innersense using this link https://tidd.ly/47mWg4F and when you complete a purchas...

This week the pod is joined by volunteer extraordinaire Darcie Wolfe. She took a chance on volunteering at Camp Blue Skies with her husband's cousin and has become a fixture of our adult community. Hear just how easy it is to step up and volunteer and maybe you can join her (and many other volunteers) at future WSA events!

This episode is brought to you by Innersense Organic Beauty.

Shop Innersense using t...

This week the gang welcomes Nicole Courtney for a lively look at what really happens when adults with WS get together at conventions, camps, or other rendezvous. Friendships grow fast, inside jokes spread, and yes, there may be a little extra interest when two people “step out for some fresh air” at the same time.

Shop Innersense using this link https://tidd.ly/47mWg4F and when you complete a purchase after clicking, WSA earns 35% ...

This week, Jen and Brendan welcome Catherine Warden, who has taken over as primary caregiver to her brother Glenn. Catherine gives us and unflinching and honest look at the joys and frustrations of caring for your sibling while also taking care of an aging parent. She also shares how much she and Glenn have changed since discovering other older adults with WS and caregivers a bit later in life.

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This week’s guest is Meg Kidulas from Holland, MI! When she isn’t showing her engine-uity in grad school or chugging along at work, she’s blowing off steam and riding the rails every chance she gets. We’ve had guests before who find trains a-track-tive, but Meg takes it to a whole new loco level. She shares her b-rail-liant adventures, her car-load of favorite routes, and why nothing keeps her on track quite like the rhythm of the ...

This week on the pod we talk to Carly Oberle who founded the organization "Let's Include Landon" with the intent to create opportunities to bring children & teens with and without disabilities together. What started as a way to promote inclusivity in sports (a mission that still goes on) for both Landon (10 WS) and Austen (7), has grown into something so much more. It's truly a story of community building and embracing what mak...

This week, Jen and Brendan are joined by Renie Zitomer. She is the younger sister to Stu Zitomer (WS) and gives us a wonderfully frank look at what it's like to live with (and be primary caregiver to) your brother. From romantic relationships to private time to realizing that things just might be okay, Renie is a fantastic guide in seeing what it is like to live with someone who, as Brendan puts it, is "atrociously social."

This ep...

This week Jen and Brendan are joined by Katie Boland. Along with her brother, Sam, Katie is a usual fixture at WSA Camp working with kiddos and foster a love of music! In addition to camp and music, Katie also talks about her experience going to college and some of the aspirations she has as she continues into adulthood.

This episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty.

Click on THIS LINK and complete your purchase and 25% of...

Joining the show is Sarah Schaefer, WSA Executive Director, to talk about the upcoming WSA International Convention in July 2026! 

UPDATE: We know many of you planning to attend the 2026 WSA Convention in Buffalo are eager to book your hotel rooms. We had hoped to receive final clearance from our hotel partners by  November 5, but uncertainties about construction plans and the room block at one of our primary hotels have caused a d...

We're back with more Nick Doris, who is leading the WSA's Wellness programming! This week he guides Jen and Brendan through some exercises and discusses the joyous energy that comes from working with a roomful of people with Williams syndrome.

Then it's back to the sea with a couple international travelers: Holly Griffin from Western Canada and Dagmar Hakonandottir from Iceland! Together with USA's Nathan Carlton, they talk about w...

It's our first two-parter! Jen and Brendan welcome our dear friend Nick Doris to talk about the WSA's Wellness programs: Wellness Wednesday and Mindfulness Mondays. This discussion on mental health and how we treat ourselves and others is so wonderful it couldn't be contained in just one show. Be sure to check out williams-syndrome.org/wellnesswednesday for more information on Nick's work.

Then it's back to the high seas where Prod...

Note on Episode 67: The $15 million inheritance mentioned in Episode 67 was part of a spam email scam. Of course we didn’t fall for it, but it was fun to joke about. We apologize if there was any confusion about its validity.

This week the pod is joined by Oklahoma's very own Hope Hansen. This wide-ranging discussion covers everything from college and living on your own versus living with roommates, to being a working woman and fig...

This episode features something truly remarkable. Jennifer Scheuerell and her daughters, Liv & Kaya, share their story of 2 daughters, born years apart, yet both having Williams syndrome. There is no known reason why Jennifer and her husband should have 2 kiddos with WS, which means that the odds of these girls happening is around 1 in 100,000,000! 

Then the show is joined by Jeff Isensee who shares what he loves and what he fi...

WSA Educational Consultant Dr. Robin Pegg returns to the WSA's Starry-Eyed Podcast for her third year with some fantastic back-to-school advice for parents and caregivers. This episode deals specifically with setting goals and working with your team to create effective IEPs. It's not to be missed. Robin's slides from the episode plus some goal setting example templates are available here

This episode is sponsored by Innersense Org...

For many of our families, Clancey Hopper has been a constant figure in the WS community. She has spent years as a kind and powerful advocate for herself and others with WS. We are so thrilled that she was able to join Jen and Brendan for a discussion on life and her work. 

Come for the convo, stay for the cloggin'!

This episode is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty.

Click on THIS LINK and complete your purchase and 25% of you...

It's sweltering hot outside and we got some sweltering hot takes on this weeks episode!

Jen and Brendan visit with Elizabeth Bress who is a strong self-advocate from the Brevard, FL area! She shares her experiences going through school mostly mainstreamed and how that has shaped her adult life. They also discuss her Facebook group Inclusion is Love and how she accumulates data with polls she puts out allowing people with and withou...

The gang is back together after a month of traveling and shenanigans! Jen, Producer Joel, and Brendan share stories of their travels to Japan, the Caribbean, and Philadelphia, respectively.

Note: On behalf of the entire Starry-Eyed Podcast family, we want to apologize to the nation of Japan for almost destroying your bullet train. Whoopsie!

In this episode, the gang are joined by Alex and Matt Boxall, twins from outside Chicago who...

This special episode takes a look back at the journey of understanding Williams syndrome—and how the WSA has grown alongside it. Through past interviews, we hear from leading voices in the field: Dr. Barbara Pober, Dr. Marty Levinson, Dr. Elizabeth Barnhardt, Dr. Becca Lyren, Dr. Jocelyn Krebs, Dr. Ben Jacob, and former WSA Executive Director Terry Monkaba.

Together, their insights paint a picture of how research, diagnosis, care, ...

Recently, creator of Innersense Organic Beauty and friend of the show Joanne Starkman, invited the gang to be on her new podcast, "Trust Your Innersense." It was a wonderful conversation about how Williams syndrome has touched all aspects of our lives and irrevocably changed our respective life paths. We also get into the early days of the show and how it's evolved over the last 2 years. We hope you enjoy this this little trip into...